The hallowed halls of academia may have filled with a dizzying array of counter-culture fashion since the 1960s, but like its fellow fashion statement the corduroy jacket, the academic beard continues to hold fast to the faces of many an academic.

Research
In humans, changes in day length, shift-work or trans-meridian travel
lead to deficits in mood and cognitive functions. Previously, these
deficits were thought to arise exclusively from sleep deprivation and/or
disruptions in circadian rhythms. Work from Dr. Samer Hattar’s
laboratory has recently shown that light can directly affect mood and
learning, even in the context of normal sleep and functional circadian
activity. The goal of our project is to determine the retinal and brain
circuits that underlie the effects of an aberrant light schedule on mood
and cognitive functions, by employing a combination of anatomical,
functional, and behavioral approaches. We will evaluate the effects of
social and sensory stimulations as possible therapies to prevent the
mood and learning deficits induced in mice exposed to aberrant light
schedules. Results obtained from this work will uncover the connectivity
and functions of new retinal-brain circuits that are required for
regulating mood and cognitive functions, independent of image formation.
Understanding the interaction between light and complex behaviors could
lead to more effective treatments for mood disorders, and more
generally, better designs for lighting environments that could enhance
learning abilities.